Infertility = Disability?

Given that I can’t comment on facebook (hi, totally not private at all!), I wanted to talk about it here where it is private.

First, I appreciate the sentiment. As I mentioned previously, I haven’t needed to deal with employers and infertility yet, but I’m worried we’re going to get there soon. In a way, it’s nice to have something in my pocket – if they aren’t accommodating, there’s actually precedent for getting help, if I need it. Not that I imagine that they wouldn’t be accommodating, but because understanding that I have backup is nice.

It definitely makes me feel that there are at least some parts of the establishment that take the ridiculous world of infertility seriously.

But, there is a part of me that is a little squicked out at the idea of being “disabled” – who really wants that as a thing? But at the same time, I keep feeling like I want to explain to everyone how hard this is, how life changing, and how permanently life changing it is. So I guess it makes sense – this is one kind of recognition. Still.

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7 thoughts on “Infertility = Disability?”

I love this, and completely agree. DH has type one diabetes and his disease is covered by the American Disability act if he was to be discriminated at work. Infertility is a disease. Especially when it comes to having to take time off work for appts and such.

I totally agree. I hate having to make up excuses at work for all of my infertility treatments. I know I would be judged for it and people wouldn’t think of it as a real disease. Plus it is hard enough trying to get a promotion 🙂

I have no idea how work will respond when we get to that – at least I’m not really looking for promotion here in the near future. But still – “hi, I need to take off work, with the hopes that I will need to take a significant period off work in the next year or so” is not an easy thing to say!